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The Mole
1st appearance November 16, 1941. The Mole was a villain that resembled his animal moniker. In 1928 before Dick Tracy joined the force, Mole was a part of a gang that was about to throw him into the river in cement shoes. At the last minute he made them change their minds. One by one he systematically killed them and took their money. In 1941 Mole was running an underground hideout for criminals on the run, and a low-level carnival crook named Duke was on the run and hid out with the Mole. He double crossed the mole and mole in turn killed him. Mole's hideout was directly under a gas station run by his associate Oily, who provided Mole with supplies in exchange for cash. When Duke tried to rob Mole, Mole strangled him to death. The police, who had been investigating Duke's crimes and subsequent disappearance, started questioning Oily, and he decided to wash his hands of his association with Mole. While attempting to barricade Mole into his hideout, Mole shot and killed Oily. During a record-setting bilzzard, the snow that had been falling melted from the warmth of Mole's hideout and flooded it, leaving the Mole with having to pack his money and leave as Tracy (who found Mole's fingerprints and believed him to be dead) fell in and faught the Mole. The two men were separated during their fight, and Mole tried to dig his way to freedom. Tracy had found another way out and caught Mole just as he reached the surface (Dec. 20, 1941). The water drained out into the sewer along with Mole's stashed money, which was aquired by the state and others to be divid ed. Once in custody, the Mole was very cooperative and served a 19 year sentence. The Mole was actually one of the few villains Tracy faced that he liked. On the Christmas shortly after he was arrested, Tracy gave the mole a gift package of fruit, cigarettes and candy. Eventually Mole was released and worked on a farm as a reformed man and ran into Tracy happily years later. Tracy and the Mole were on such good terms that he was one of the three former villains of his that were invited to the wedding of Junior Tracy and Sparkle Plenty, along with Pear Shape and Influence. After his release from prison, Mole was seen working with his granddaughter Molene who bore and uncanny resemblence to him. At first, Mole seemed to bear a grudge against Dick Tracy, and was supposedly involved with the former fatman named the Pouch in a smuggling operation secretly run by Johnny Scorn. After being arrested and released (due to lack of evidence), Mole washed his hands of Molene. Still, he refused to report her activities to the police, and he expressed grief at her death when she later killed herself along with her rival for Scorn's affections El Tigress. It was later discovered that Mole's former underground hideout was being used as a refuge for homeless families. Mole became determined to help these people, allowi ng himself to be drawn into a charity match with the pro wrestler Thunderchild, even though Mole believed it was organized by Thunderchild's publicist Patty Cure to exploit Mole's criminal reputation. Trivia *Mole's original encounter with Dick Tracy took place in 1941. When he re-appeared in 1971, he claimed to have served a 19-year sentance. This would have had him convicted and incarcerated in 1952 rather than 1941. This would be an example of the sliding time-line of the comic strip. OTHER MEDIA 1950s TV Series The Mole appeared ina 2-part episode of the 1950s "Dick Tracy" television series. He was portrayed by actor Raymond Hatton. Mole was portrayed as a light-sensitive underworld figure who eventually captured and imprisoned Dick Tracy in an underground hideout. 1960s Animated Series ''' The Mole occasionally appeared as a background character in the 1960s "Dick Tracy" cartoon show. He was also shown as part of the gang led by Pruneface in "The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo". '''Movie Continuity The Mole does not appear in the 1990 film "Dick Tracy". However, he is a featured character in the comic book tie-in published by the Walt Disney company, written by John Moore with art by Kyle Baker. In the comic book, Mole operates an underground hide-out for fugitive criminals. He is closely associated with the underworld doctor Doc Hump, who performed plastic surgery on fugitives to help them evade capture. Mole aids Karpse, and is later approached by Dick Tracy disguised as B.B. Eyes. Karpse discovers Tracy's ruse, and Tracy's backup arrives. Mole flees, pursued by Tracy, while Karpse and Doc Hump are arrested. Mole hijacks a hearse which Tracy hops in the back of. The two men struggle and force the car off the road. It crashes through the ice into a frozen lake. Tracy survives, but Mole dies from the shock of the cold. The Mole is also a character in the film's follow-up novel written by Max Allan Collins "Dick Tracy Goes to War". Can be found: *The Complete Dick Tracy Vol. 7 *The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy *Dick Tracy: The Complete True Hearts and Tommy Guns Trilogy *Dick Tracy Goes to War Category:Ugly Men Category:Reformed Criminal